Review by Booklist Review
Herman's latest (after Sex with Presidents, 2021) is a witty, quickly paced examination of the treatment of women in power. The lives of powerful and prestigious women are outlined along with their vilification and the smear campaigns run against them. Herman discusses both contemporary figures, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, as well as women of the far past, from Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, to more recent historical women rulers like Queen Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette. Along with the vitriolic backlash and demonization these largely Western women endured and continue to endure, both past and current treatment of women in positions of power is explored, whether it be the focus on women's expressions, voices, clothing choices, and children or lack thereof or their misogynistic treatment by other political figures. Though some truly jaw-dropping statistics are mentioned offhandedly with little context, such as King Henry VIII's 70,000 executions, this is a solid choice for popular-history and social-science collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Herman (Sex with Presidents) delivers a brisk and witty examination of the "organized smear operations" aimed at powerful women from ancient Egyptian ruler Hatshepsut to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Contending that female leaders have faced a "clear pattern of vilification across the millennia," Herman identifies consistent critiques lobbed against "powerful individuals suffering from chronic no-penis syndrome," including "overweening ambition," "shrillness," "unlikability," and "sexual deviancy." The book's second half offers the strongest defense of Herman's thesis, as she includes commentary by Hillary Clinton, Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, and other contemporary women leaders on the media's obsession with their sartorial choices, facial expressions, and voices; the death threats they received; and the misogynistic attacks they faced from political opponents. Herman also lucidly analyzes the "misogynoir" endured by women of color including Vice President Harris and U.S. congresswoman Maxine Waters. Some eye-popping statistics are tossed in without adequate context, as when Herman claims that Henry VIII executed 70,000 people, and she overstates how much recent scholarship has rehabilitated the reputation of the 16th-century French queen Catherine de Medici. Still, Herman marshals a plethora of evidence in support of her cause and draws incisive connections between the past and the present. This feminist history enrages and entertains. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Historian Herman (Sex with Presidents) cracks open the book of misogyny to discuss the tropes and methods of tearing down women. Each chapter discusses various things that women are ridiculed for, such as their hair, voices, their "sexual depravity," and more. Herman relies heavily on contemporary, American politicians to make her case, specifically former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris. A good portion of the book feels like a rehashing of America's misogynistic political climate, specifically of the last six or so years, although Herman does compare these politicians to more antiquated historical figures. Notable women discussed include Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, and Shirley Chisholm. What is lacking throughout is the discussion of the intersection of being Black and a woman. Instead of incorporating and expanding on this throughout the book, Herman includes a chapter about misogynoir at the tail end of the book, which makes it feel like an afterthought. Herman doesn't offer anything new to the discussion, although she brings humor and quick quips. VERDICT Fans of Herman's previous works will likely find this enjoyable. Libraries catering to academics should see this as an optional purchase.--Grace Caternolo
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A far-reaching history that directly addresses the "misogynist's handbook" that still plagues women in power. From Cleopatra and Anne Boleyn to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton, Herman, author of Sex With Kings and Sex With Presidents, addresses the long history of double-standard practices that troublingly persist today. Why do men--and other women--wish to tear down ambitious, intelligent, accomplished women in positions of power, while often treating men in the same positions with deference? "In each woman's story," writes the author, "I discovered organized smear operations churning out unfounded accusations of sexual improprieties and criticisms of her ambition, untrustworthiness, appearance, and unlikability, accusations rarely made about male leaders either in the first century BCE or today." Herman methodically sifts through these often false accusations, most of which follow the "misogynist's handbook," which was crafted to "enforce the Patriarchy, a concept so towering it must be capitalized." In a typically amusing passage, the author writes about a "clear pattern of vilification across the millennia and throughout history to bring down powerful individuals suffering from chronic no-penis syndrome." She shows how misogyny usually involves a fear of women's bodies as life-giving forces and the male need to eclipse and harness that mysterious power for their own purposes, and she underscores how many religious traditions emanated from that need to control. Using enlightening humor as well as righteous, well-founded frustration and anger, Herman effectively deconstructs the tendency of men to focus on hair, voice, clothing, and body type rather than pertinent qualifications and accomplishments. Not content to merely call out these biases, the author advocates for the importance of electing more women to public office and getting men to stand up for women in the face of sexism. With chapter titles like "The Alarming Shrillness of Her Voice," "She's a Bitch and Other Animals," and "Additional Tools To Diminish Her," the text offers a nice balance of serious inquiry and well-placed levity. Timely and politically spot-on, this is sure to be a popular title. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
